Combination truck and passenger vehicle



Jan. 5, 1943. H. T. VANHOOSER COMBINATION TRUCK AND PASSENGER VEHICLE Filed Jan. 29, 1941 Patented Jan. 5, 1943 COMBINATION TRUCK AND PASSENGER VEHICLE Harry '1. Vanhooser, Muskogee, Okla. Application January 29, 1941, Serial No. 376,463

1 Claim. (01. 296-103) This invention provides a combination truck and passenger vehicle. The main object of the invention is to provide a chassis including a frame, wheels, engine and cab as common features, and whereon may be removably mounted either a truck body or a passenger car body, alternately as desired, and so that the said chassis may thus be made to serve a double purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle chassis including a floor, a cab mounted permanently at the forward end of the chassis, the said cab being open at the back and generally of a design for association with either a truck body or a passenger car body, a truck body for removably mounting on the chassis back of the cab, for completing the assembly as a truck, the said truck body having at its forward end a closure for the open back of the cab, and a passenger body for removably mounting on the chassis in lieu of the truck body, the said passenger body being open at the front to register with the openbacked cab of the chassis when mounted thereon, for completing the assembly as a passenger car.

With the foregoing objects in View a preferred embodiment of the invention and. the elements thereof, is shown in the drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle chassis as contemplated by this invention, the rear upper corner of the right side of the cab being broken out to show the construction.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing a truck body designed in accordance with this invention, mounted on the chassis.

Figure 3 is a view similar to 1 and 2, showing however a passenger car body or tonneau on the chassis in lieu of the truck body.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail on an enlarged scale, showing the method of interlocking the frontal cover plate of the truck body and the roof of the passenger tonneau, with the rear marin of the cab roof of the chassis.

The invention comprises a chassis frame 5, supported upon axles Band wheels 1 arranged at front and rear, and provided with a floor 8 bowed or arched transversely at 9 over the rear axle 6. A conventional engine (not shown) is mounted at the front end of the chassis frame, and a cab ID with seats I I is permanently mounted back of the engine, in conventional manner.

In accordance with my invention, the back of the cab is left open as indicated at I2, this opening being defined by the floor 8, the lateral angleposts or uprights I3 seated at their lower ends in the floor 8, and the roof I4 anchored atop the angle-posts I3 at each side are turned one inwardly and the other'rearwardly to form flanged angles or settings I 3a for the lateral margins of the cover plate later described.

In accordance with my invention a truck body I5 is provided, the same having a floor I6, arched at I I to fit over the arched portion 9 of the chassis floor 8, and whereby these floors are held together against longitudinal slippage. A flat, rectangular closure or cover plate I8 is vertically erected at the front end of the truck body, same being anchored along its lower edge to the floor I6, and laterally to the sides ll of the body I5. This plate I8 is provided with a window I9 in its upper portion. The plate I8 is adapted to exactly and nicely fit within the angles I3a of the posts I3, to close the opening I2 at the back of the cab, when properly mounted in place.

In order to lock the forward end of the truck bodyin place, the rear margin of the cab roof I l is extended back to provide a ledge 20, which is grooved or channeled transversely along its under side as at 2| to releasably engage the upper edge of the cover plate I8. Thus by tipping up the rear end of the body I 5 and sliding the plate I8 forward under the ledge 20 and then lowering the rear end of the body, the upper edge of the plate enters the channel and is thus held against slipping rearward. The sides of the body I5 are also dropped as at 22 below sides of the floor I6, for laterally embracing the sides of the chassis floor 8, for retaining the body against lateral slippage.

A passenger body or tonneau 23 is provided,

' the same having a floor 24-, arched at 25 to sit over the arch 9 of thechassis floor 8, and provided with seats Ila. The front of this tonneau is left open, as at 26 and the frontal margins of the tonneau defining this opening are adapted to nicely fit between the posts I3 and Within the angles thereof. The forward margin of the roof 2! is formed with an under lip 28 adapted to engage the channel 2| of the cab roof I 4, similarly to the engagement of the truck cover plate I8, and for the same purpose of releasably locking the elements together.

Similarly and for a similar purpose the sides of the tonneau 23 are dropped as at 29 for laterally embracing the sides of the chassis floor 8. The tonneau 23 is. removably mounted on the chassis in manner similar to the mounting of the truck body I5.

The truck body and tonneau may be additionupper ends of the posts The webs of the ally bolted in place, if desired, in any conventional manner, as by bolts 30 passed through the floors 8 and IE, or 8 and 24.

It is thought from the foregoing description the practice of the invention will be fully understood, and while I have here shown and described certain structural features of the invention, these come together to form joints may be lined with rubber beading to prevent rattling apdto egrclude water. Also the running boards may be eonstructed so as to be separableirom the rear fenders of the truck body or passenger tonneau.

I claim:

In combination with a vehicle cab open at the back having a tongue and groove across atop marginal edge thereof adapted to interconnect with various, types of interchangeable-yehicle bodies and a chassis supporting;saidcabhaving a kick-up rearwardly of the;cab, projecting,-up wardly from the rear of said chassis adapted to interengage with a complementary; recess. in the floor of a various types of ,dernountable, {vehicle bodies; a suitable typedemountable vehicle lb ody having a tongue across a, top marginal {edge thereof adapted to fit within' said;groove.across -thereby substantially reduce stress at the cab the sides of said top marginal edge of said cab to form a joint to connect said cab and vehicle body together, along their respective top marginal edges, a kick-up in the floor of said vehicle body complementary to said chassis kick-up to provide a recessed portion adapted to align and nest over said chassis kick-up when said cab and vehicle body are joined together at their respective top marginal edges to prevent longitudinal movement of said vehicle-body on said chassis and and vehicle body top connection from longitudinal movement, guide means on each side of the -;cab ope ring extending cab to the chassis adapted to guide and overlap from the top edge of the a demountable vehicle body during connecton to the cab and to prevent lateral movement of said demountable body to substantially reduce stress from lateral movement at the cab and vehicle body top connections, and lock means a back of, said chassis kick-up adapted to lock said vehiclefbody to said chassis when same is placed in-proper alignment over the chassis to prevent vertical movement of the ,rear part of said vehicle bodyfromthe chassis and to thereby maintaina substantially rigid connection between the .Idernountable vehicle body, cab and chassis at their respective points of connection.

nanny T VANHOOSER. 

